


Hearts' Desire

by JohnAmendAll



Category: Doctor Who (2005)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, F/M, meme: Fics I'll Never Write
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2014-07-14
Updated: 2014-07-14
Packaged: 2018-02-08 20:58:25
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 863
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/1955916
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/JohnAmendAll/pseuds/JohnAmendAll
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>The Master's plan to use the Immortality Gate backfires on him.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Hearts' Desire

**Author's Note:**

> Written for a Fic-I'll never-write meme; [lost_spook](http://archiveofourown.org/users/lost_spook/pseuds/lost_spook) suggested I'd never write a fluffy Ten/Rose fixit.

"Oh, that's way too easy." The Master shook his head triumphantly. "No, no, no. They're not going to think like me, they're going to _become_ me." 

The Immortality Gate flared with green and blue light, its shimmering forcefield intensifying to full power. 

"And... Zero!" he shouted, throwing his arms out. A wave of blue light swept out from him— 

And rebounded. 

"No!" the Master screamed, as the ring of light tightened around him. "Turn it off! How did you...?" 

The Doctor held out his hands. "I didn't do anything! I couldn't! If I could I'd have stopped you turning the Gate on in the first place, wouldn't I?" 

The Master writhed in pain. "Traken! This is Traken all over again! You let them capture you to distract me while some little pet of yours tampered with the—" 

He broke off, with a howl of agony. The Gate blazed with light, and his figure was now only visible as a blue-white silhouette. 

"Good job you didn't put your daughter in there," the Doctor said, not taking his eyes off the Master's torment. 

"What's happening to him?" Wilf called. 

"I don't know." The Doctor peered into the glow. The silhouette was still visible, but its shape was changing, its outline taking on a distinctly feminine appearance. "Maybe he's regenerating." 

With a _snap_ , the Gate cut out. Standing in the middle of the suddenly-inert lump of metal was a young woman, her hair straight and dyed blonde. She looked from Naismith to the Doctor, and back. 

"Well, someone say something," she said. 

The Doctor, as if scarcely able to believe what he was seeing, took a step forward. "Rose," he whispered. 

"Nice to know you haven't forgotten me." Rose took a couple of paces out of the gate. Naismith moved forward, but two of the security guards aimed their guns at him. 

"What the..." he began. "Stand down!" 

The guards raised the visors of their helmets, revealing the familiar features of Pete Tyler and Jake. 

"Sorry, mate," the latter said. "This area's under the temporary control of the People's Republic. Until that thing's made safe." 

Rose advanced slowly across the hall, the Master's hoodie hanging awkwardly from her smaller frame, until she was face to face with the Doctor. Equally slowly, he put his hand on her cheek. 

"Oh, Rose," he said. "Rose, it's really you." 

"Um, excuse me." Wilf raised his hand. "What happened to Saxon, then?" 

"Thanks for reminding me." Pete hurried across to the Gate, opened a panel, and extracted a fobwatch. "Here he is." 

"And I've got a better use for his body." Rose took the Doctor's hand in hers, and pressed his fingers to her wrist. He felt the familiar double pulse of a Time Lord. "They weren't kidding when they called it the Immortality Gate, were they? I can be with you for ever, now." 

The Doctor's only answer was to catch her up in his arms and kiss her. 

"You mean—" Wilf began. Since Rose was clearly in no position to answer him, he turned to the other two. "Whose idea was all this?" 

"The other Doctor," Pete said. "The cross-universe monitors started working, then the Dimension Cannon. And he said that was because something was breaking down the barriers again. Something out of the Time War. He said it had to be stopped, whatever it took." 

"Even if it meant stealing the Master's body?" 

"The Doctor — our Doctor — said he's done it to other people enough times, it'd serve him right. Now let's get you out of there and make sure no-one else gets any bright ideas about the Gate." 

⁂

"Rose," the Doctor said. "I've got this for you." 

Her hearts pounding with anticipation, Rose took the jewel case from his hand and opened it. Inside, on a bed of blue velvet, a solitaire diamond glittered in its ring. 

"Oh." Rose stared at the jewel, enraptured. "It's beautiful. Is it really a diamond?" 

"A diamond and more." The Doctor beamed at her. "It's a Whitepoint Star. Fell out of the sky a few nights ago. They're incredibly rare. Whoever chucked it away must've been mad." 

"Who do you think it was?" Rose was still gazing into the depths of the gem. "Why did they do it?" 

"I don't know. Well, not for certain. Well, I suppose I could make an educated guess." He shrugged. "Doesn't matter. I found a better use for it." 

Finally, Rose broke eye contact with the diamond. "You're sure it's safe?" she asked. "It won't do anything funny if I put it on?" 

"As long as you don't connect it to a nuclear bolt generator and turn it up to maximum, it'll be fine." 

"You're sure?" 

"Cross my hearts." 

Rose slipped the ring onto her finger. "Now what?" 

"Oh, I thought maybe we could have a picnic on Hesperus." The Doctor twirled the TARDIS key around his finger. "Followed by surfing on the beaches of Florana, and after that... the rest of the night's all ours." 

Rose put her arm in his. "I'm so glad I came back." 

"So am I," the Doctor replied, as they set out for the TARDIS. "Come along, sweet-hearts."


End file.
